Interviews
Opening Up Shop in Little Tokyo
I felt very connected to Little Tokyo. I had been going there all my life, I had spent time working there. And so I rented space in Little Tokyo, and opened up my practice, I sent out announcements to all my parents’ friends and all my grandparents’ friends. And then I waited for people to come. And, you know, I was able to make a living doing that. It seems incredible at this point, people just don’t do those kinds of things anymore, but a lot of—there were a lot of people in small private practices in 1970 when I started. There were, you know, there were a handful of Japanese American lawyers—a few in the South Bay, mostly in Little Tokyo. There was a firm in the Crenshaw area, but they moved to Little Tokyo as well. So, there was this little community. Everyone knew each other, and so many people (other lawyers) gave me work. You know, they just gave me cases—probably things that they didn’t want to do—but I was able to start a practice and make a living doing that.
Date: July 10, 2012
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Lawrence Lan
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association
Explore More Videos
Japanese in Minot
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.
Integrating As First-Generation Japanese-Peruvian (Japanese)
(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru
The Nikkei community that didn't support Former President Fujimori's election (Japanese)
(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum
The differences in attitude of pre-war and post war in terms of the President Fujimori presidency (Japanese)
(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum
How I became a volunteer at the International Association of Yamato (Spanish)
Japanese Peruvian in Japan
Several ways to participate and integrate into Japanese society (Spanish)
Japanese Peruvian in Japan
The Closing of the Japanese Hospital (English / Japanese)
(b.1908) Daugther of the first publisher of the Rafu Shimpo